Deal of a Lifetime
by Anya-Paradox
Summary: Caroline starts up a summer fling at sixteen after making a deal with a stranger. She starts something else at eighteen after making a deal with Niklaus Mikaelson.


A/N: This drabble for Caroline losing her virginity to Klaus grew wings and took off. Please note there is sexual content near the beginning and at the end. Please review :) I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Caroline had lost her virginity at 16 on a summer holiday she had taken with her dad. They had been on the coast of California, and her dad had spent two full days with her —a new record! — before losing interest in family time and going back to his laptop filled with work and his new boyfriend.

Caroline wasn't upset about it; she'd spent her fair share of summers devastated that her dad wouldn't play with her anymore, but she was sixteen now, and hanging with her father was cramping her style anyway. There were cute boys on the beach, and somehow they always lost interest when her father showed up, towering over her and menacing.

So Caroline would yell out her goodbye, to which her dad wouldn't even lift his head, just wave vaguely in the air. She skipped out the door, and walked the three blocks to the beach. It was a hot summer, hotter than the one previous, and Caroline figured that the ocean might be actually bearable at this point. Either way, she had a brand new pink bikini, one that cut a little too high on her butt, showing off more than she'd anticipated. Still, she wasn't at home, and she'd never have to see any of these people again.

The beach wasn't that busy; six people played volleyball in the distance, and a family was splashing in the waves not too far from her. Other than that it was mostly empty. Caroline laid down her large blue beach towel and settled into the sand, digging her book out of her bag.

She'd barely managed to read a single sentence before a shadow fell over her, and a man sat down beside her in the sand. He was wearing dark blue swim shorts and a smug grin, and Caroline frowned because he looked dangerous.

"Did you need something?" she had said, head held as high as possible given her reclined position.

He laughed, a little darkly, "Yes actually." His voice was soft and low, and the British accent that spilled out with it intrigued her.

Caroline stared at him, torn between continuing this conversation and staring blankly, prompting him to state what he wanted and be gone. She sighed, and set her book down, sitting up, "Okay, I'll bite. What did you need?"

"Your name," he declared, running fingers through artfully tousled curls. Caroline almost hated him for how insanely good looking he was, even sandy and windswept. She probably looked frizzy by now, and she hadn't even gone in the water yet.

"My name," she repeated, nonplussed, "you came all the way here for my name?"

He grinned, "It wasn't that far of a walk. But yes, I came here to know your name. Mine's Nik."

"Caroline." It was sheer politeness that had her responding, and she would have regretted it, except that Nik had lit up and smirked at her.

"Caroline," he murmured, "I would be honoured if you would accompany me to lunch."

Caroline laughed, "You don't even know me! How old are you, anyway?"

The question seemed to amuse him, and he huffed out a laugh, "Seventeen."

Oh. Caroline had really been expecting older. He looked older. His eyes reminded her a little bit of her mom's — not that they were girly, or anything, just that they had seemed almost sad. Lonely, maybe.

"Are you always this forward?" Caroline asked, primly.

Nik nodded seriously, "I like to go after what I want. And I always get what I want. So, I'll make you a deal. Accompany me to lunch, and I'll show you the best sights this place has to offer."

Caroline rolled her eyes, but she went to lunch. She's not sure if she did it to spite her father, or because she was bored, or because Nik looked at her as though he had seen the sun, and his gaze had never wavered from her eyes, even when she had stood up in her bikini, showing off.

Either way, they had spent the day together. After lunch he had taken her back to the beach, only he had showed her a path off to the side and they climbed the rocks until they found a shallow cove. Caroline had never seen anything so beautiful, and she admitted that Nik had done well with showing her the sights. They had swam until the sun had set on the water, and Nik had made her get out, wrinkled and pruny.

When she returned home, her father wasn't there. There was no note, no dinner, nothing. He hadn't even checked in on the phone.

Caroline trudged upstairs, vaguely upset even though she had sworn she wouldn't do this. Wouldn't get her hopes up and get hurt _again_ by her father's inability to be there for her.

Tears had burned behind her eyelids, and Caroline had only just gotten control of herself when she heard the first crack against the window.

Nik was standing there, like some kind of ridiculous eighties movie hero, holding a handful of rocks and a wolfish grin.

"Nik, what the hell?" Caroline had hissed.

He dropped the rocks, "Can I see you again tomorrow?"

Caroline's cheeks flushed, and pleasure raced through her. He wanted to see her again!

"Yeah," she said, breathless and excited.

Nik easily grabbed a hold of her condo deck, swinging himself up onto the rails; he stepped easily onto the window ledge that jutted out beside it, and then leaned over until he was only a few inches away from Caroline.

"You are so strange," Caroline whispered.

Nik laughed, "You have no idea."

He kissed her easily, leaning even further off his tenuous ledge to move further into her space. Caroline let him, leaned out her window to make it easier. It felt like nothing Caroline had ever experienced before, and she'd kissed her fair share of boys back him.

Nik pulled away and smiled at her, a real smile, not one of the smirks or grins he usually sent her way.

"See you tomorrow, love."

Caroline didn't even get a chance to respond before Nik leapt off the window ledge and hit the ground. He didn't even fall, just sent a wink her way and then ran off.

And that was how Caroline managed to find herself in a summer fling with Nik.

* * *

The next week progressed exactly the way Caroline had imagined it would after watching so many summer romance movies. Her father ate breakfast with her most days, and then told her he was heading out on business. Caroline didn't really buy it — he always left his laptop in their condo, but brought a dark backpack instead. She didn't know what was in it, she never managed to find it when he was home.

Nik met her at her door after her father left, and they would explore the town and the coast. Some days, Nik was cheery and open, and she asked him about his family, to which he responded vaguely _'I have a couple brothers, one sister' _or else _'we don't get along. our parents weren't the best'. _Eventually_, _Caroline stopped asking since it tended to make Nik more moody and hostile.

That was the other thing. Nik was… volatile. Some days he appeared as though he had not a care in the world except taking Caroline exploring, and other days he showed up and almost ignored her, sadness and fury etched on every line of his face.

On the last day of her vacation with her father, on _their_ last day, Nik showed up at her door after her father left full of energy. He seemed manic, and it frightened Caroline almost as much as it excited her.

"Come on, love," he declared, "I have the _perfect_ spot for today."

As it turned out, he was right; the perfect spot turned out to be a cave carved into the side of the ocean. They waited until tide was at it's absolute lowest and then waded into the water, curving around sharp coastal rocks and walls, and then suddenly, Nik disappeared and Caroline followed.

The cave was huge inside, hollowed out from years of ocean water filling and emptying. It was bright; when Caroline looked up she could see holes in the roof where sun filtered in, lighting up everything.

"Up here," Nik prompted, boosting her up onto a steep wall. "this all fills up with water when the tide comes in, so we have to go to the top."

Caroline had nervously dug her feet and fingers into the pockmarked surface, trying not to think about how he would drop straight onto stone if she accidentally fell. Nik steadied her from below, and before she knew it, she climbed onto a flat surface.

Nik clambered up behind her, and Caroline didn't even glance at him, too overcome by what she was looking at. The alcove of the plateau was filled with blankets, and a few candles, and Caroline figured that this was probably the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.

"You did this?" Caroline asked, "How did you get it all here?"

Klaus laughed, coming up beside her, "I carried it. It wasn't that hard, I promise. Besides, it's our last day."

Caroline turned and smiled at him, "Thank you. This is amazing."

Nik leaned forward and kissed her, easy as breathing; Caroline let herself be swept away, and she wondered how on earth she could go back to her life in Mystic Falls without him.

They made their way to the tiny nest, and Nik pulled out a basket filled with sandwiches. Caroline teased him for bringing her on a cave-picnic, and he rolled his eyes, but truthfully, she was honoured.

"I want to do something." Caroline declared, pushing away the picnic basket once they were both done. Nik was lying on the blankets beside her, staring up at the sunlight. The tide had already started to fill the cave below, and it would be a few hours before they could get out and go home.

"Well, you're pretty much confined to the cave for the next three and a half hours," Nik teased.

Caroline laughed, "That's okay. It's a cave approved activity."

Nik turned his head, staring her down with the eyes that always seemed to see right through her. "What is it?"

Caroline swallowed hard and tugged her shirt over her head before she lost her nerve. She had worn her best blue bra and matching panties, just for this occasion. Still, she was nervous. She had kissed lots of boys; even let Jamie Nedhoin feel her up under her shirt at the last house party she had snuck out for.

This was different though.

Nik's eyes dragged down her body, catching on the lace that covered her bra. When he finally made eye contact with her again, Caroline knew she was blushing.

"Are you sure?" he asked, this time with a voice soft and silky.

Caroline nodded, "Yeah, I am."

That was all it took. Nik pulled her towards him, flipping them so her breasts pressed against his chest. Caroline's breath caught, and he kissed her deeply, running his tongue on the seam of her mouth, nipping gently at her lips. He skin felt like it was on fire, and he hadn't even touched her yet, just rested one hand on her side, and the other tight on her hair.

He pulled back from the kiss, his pupils blown wide and black with desire, "Tell me if you want me to stop."

Caroline let her fingertips trace down his back until she found the hem of his shirt, tugging it up and over his head, "Don't stop."

After that, it was all heat and friction; Caroline's bra was admired for half a second before Nik pulled it off of her, and then his tongue was on her breasts, and she forgot completely about her undergarments. He licked at her skin as though he was dying and she was the cure, and Caroline couldn't stop her hands from tugging at his curls.

He reached her shorts at the same time Caroline finally gathered the courage to slip her hand around his front and press against his cock. He was hard, and he let out a low hiss at her touch.

"God, Caroline, shit," he murmured, "you are unlike anything I've ever known."

Caroline grinned at the praise, "Glad to hear it."

He lifted his head from where it was pressed against her breast, "Can I…?"

She nodded, and he swiftly undid her shorts, pulling them and her underwear off at the same time. For a second Caroline swore she saw his eyes light up a burning yellow, but he pressed his face back into her skin, and when he lifted his head again there was nothing.

"I've never done this before," Caroline admitted.

Nik's expression went carefully neutral, but he was far too slow, and Caroline saw both the surprise and the pleasure at her admission. "Are you sure…"

"Yes," Caroline repeated, "I want this. I want _you_. Just… go slow?"

"Slow," Nik said softly, as though it was totally a foreign concept. "I can do slow."

His words came out unsure, but his fingers traced her thighs softly. He let a single finger run down her, gentle and easy; Caroline squirmed, not away, but closer. She wanted to feel him, wanted him inside of her. Wanted everything he had to offer.

Caroline grabbed his wrist, "I want your shorts off first. Please."

He scrambled to get out of them, and by the time he was back on top of her he was naked. The first finger he pushed inside of her felt foreign, even though Caroline was no stranger to using her own fingers. It didn't hurt; it felt fantastic, and Nik kissed her even as he added another finger.

She flinched when he added the third, and Nik stilled, kissing her neck before moving down her body.

"I want to try something," he told her, and then he licked the centre of her, and Caroline let out a low moan.

"Holy shit," Caroline hissed, spreading her legs wider so that Nik could continue his ministrations. He licked at her until she was writhing beneath him, and she forgot completely about the fact that he had continued to pump three fingers into her.

"Ready?" he asked, pulling away. His lips were shiny, and Caroline thought that she could fall in love with him. She might already be in love with him, only she wasn't allowed. This was a summer fling, and Caroline was no fool.

He pushed into her gently, so slowly that Caroline wanted to _die_. All the things she'd ever been told about it hurting seemed unfounded. She wanted this, she wanted _him_, and it didn't hurt.

Nik stopped when he was fully inside her, panting against her neck. Caroline wondered what it cost him to go so slowly, to be so gentle with her. She heaved out a breath.

"Move, move," she hissed, "c'mon."

He laughed, and then there was no more hesitation. He plunged into her, and Caroline wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, kissing at his neck and face. She bit him playfully on the neck, careful not to leave any marks. Nik groaned, and nipped at her ear, sending a flush straight through her.

She pushed at him, intrigued to try something new, and Nik flipped them easily, letting her legs settle each side of his waist. Caroline settled her hands on his chest, grinning down at him.

"Don't tease, love," he warned.

Caroline leaned down, kissed him gently, "I would never," she whispered.

She moved easily at first, back and forth, testing the limits. It felt absolutely incredible, and within minutes she was gasping for breath, and Nik had both his hands on her waist, slamming himself into her.

She unraveled first, everything going a little white at the edges as pleasure soared through her veins. Her body slumped onto Nik's, and he pushed into her three more times before he fell apart alongside her.

They didn't move, relaxed and impossibly sleepy. Nik pulled out of her only to pull a blanket over them and tug her to his side. It was too warm for the blanket, but it felt cozy and safe, and Caroline didn't complain.

It took forever for either of them to speak, and by the time Nik found the words, Caroline was almost asleep.

"Caroline, I have to tell you something," Nik said, his voice earnest and soft.

"Tell me later," she whispered, "I'm sleeping."

As it turned out, there was no later. They woke up late, and scrambled to get out of the cave while the tide was still out. They had rushed Caroline home on the off chance her father would be back.

He had been back, his car ominous in front of the house. The darkness of the night felt foreboding, and Caroline had paused before she crossed the road to go back inside. She turned to Nik, whose face was creased in a frown.

"You wanted to tell me something," Caroline said, leaning up and kissing him.

He sighed, "No, it's okay. It was no big deal."

"It seemed big," Caroline whispered, "and it's our last day."

Nik's face went carefully blank, covering the hurt Caroline knew she had seen, "It was nothing."

She stared at him, willing the tears that had welled in her eyes not to fall, "I'm sorry."

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for, love," Nik murmured, kissed her forehead, "I had fun today."

Caroline swallowed the lump in her throat, "Me too."

He stepped away from her, shadows jumping into the chasm between their bodies, "Have a nice life, Caroline."

He was gone. Just like that.

Caroline goes into her house, gets screamed at by her father for '_disappearing for hours without telling me where you were' _which is actually so ironic Caroline can't help feeling furious.

They go to bed angry, and when Caroline's dropped off at her mom's house the next day her father doesn't even say goodbye. It hurts that he's the second man in two days to do that to her.

They don't go on any more summer vacations after that.

The only person Caroline tells is Elena; it's reassuring to tell someone. They have a new secret, and it's mostly harmless, and when Elena and Matt finally have sex Caroline tries not to feel empty and stupid, because Elena and Matt were _perfect_ and Nik was gone.

* * *

Caroline is nearly eighteen the next time she sees Nik again. It's probably the worst night of her life to date, and so far she's been tortured more than once, lost people she loved, and _died to become a vampire_. Suffice to say, she's had her fair share of shitty nights.

This one tops them all.

They've been fighting against the mysterious Klaus for months; he wants _hybrids_, they keep dying, etc. Caroline's never met the guy but he seems like a piece of work.

At least, she thought she had never met him.

They're all running around the school, it's her idea. She wanted to make sure they still got to experience their senior pranks — it's a tradition, and Caroline's not sure how many _human_ activities she'll get before she's just a full blown vampire.

The only reason she sees him first is because he's focused on Elena, which is just _typical_. He looks the same as always: curly hair and light eyes, expression fixed in a smug grin. He looks just a deadly as always, only Caroline vividly remembers the way he smiled at her, as though she was _important_.

She's seconds away from blurting it out, when Stefan hisses: "Klaus."

Nik turns, "Stefan," he greets. Same infuriatingly sexy British accent.

They trade barbs, and Caroline feels frozen, only she must have moved incrementally, because suddenly his laser-like vision is focused on _her_, and she'd forgotten just how powerful his stare was.

He doesn't say a word, and they only make eye contact for seconds. Still, Caroline _knows_ he remembers her. She knows it the way she knows that her heart is beating, and her lungs are filling with air; it's a _part_ of her.

The night does not go as expected. Nik turns back to Stefan, and it goes downhill from there. Caroline nearly runs away she's so devastated and shaken; Stefan is _gone_, Elena is nothing but a bloodbag, and Matt _died_ just to get answers.

And Nik… or Klaus, or whatever the hell his name was… he never looked at her again.

Caroline doesn't tell anyone.

* * *

Caroline's positive the day everything changed was on her birthday. She was officially eighteen, according to her birth certificate, even if she hadn't aged beyond seventeen and never would. Tyler had been avoiding her, and honestly, she can't even be mad at him. Klaus is ruining his life, and subsequently, he's ruining hers, and Caroline _slept_ with him. She knew him, she knew him before any of the others and she hasn't told _anyone_.

Who is she supposed to tell? Elena? '_Oh, by the way, that guy I told you about when I was sixteen? Nik? Yeah, well, turns out I had sex with the big bad. Sorry!'._

Caroline hates him, almost as much as she hates herself.

It doesn't help that the moment Tyler says he loves her Caroline has an instant flash of _no, no, this is wrong_ before she musters up excitement. It's not that she doesn't love Tyler, she _does_, it's just that… well, Nik had always been real in a way no one else ever was. It was fine, when he wasn't around, but now she fell asleep and dreamed about him threatening her friends, and his face changing in fury.

She still loved him. Maybe. A little.

So when Tyler bites her and pretty much signs her death warrant, she doesn't really fight it. She's kind of done playing second fiddle to Elena, and dealing with all the shit Mystic Falls throws their way.

She's done wanting something she can't have, and shouldn't even want.

Except… Klaus comes to _her_, this time.

He walks into her bedroom like he owns it, sits down beside her on her mattress. Caroline knows she looks awful; sweaty and hallucinating, covered in dirt and desperation.

"Caroline," Klaus murmurs, and his eyes land on her the same way they had only a few years ago.

Caroline tries to make her face concrete, the way he does, so he can't tell what she's thinking. "Are you going to kill me?"

"On your birthday?" Klaus asks, and his eyes look _wounded_, and it's not _fair, _"Do you really think that low of me?"

"Yes." Caroline answers. It's not quite a lie, because she _should_ think that low of him, and his actions haven't really inspired confidence that he isn't terrible.

He leans down and looks at the bite on her neck, "That looks bad. My apologies. You were just collateral damage, it's nothing personal. I love birthdays."

"Nothing _personal?"_ Caroline hisses.

Klaus has the ghost of a smile on his lips, "I always wished I would run into you again, love. You had such fire, even at sixteen."

Caroline scowls, fury lighting up her veins, "You don't get to say that to me. You let me walk away, and at the time I thought it was because we were both seventeen but you _weren't_. You were _this: _the hybrid Klaus, and you could have… I don't know. I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this. It's a waste of time, and I don't have much of that left, if you hadn't noticed."

"I was a hybrid, yes, but you were _human_." Klaus snaps, "What did you want me to do? Turn you?"

"Wouldn't have changed much, huh?" Caroline sighs.

Klaus smirks, "It would have changed everything… you're a _stunning_ vampire, love. I've never seen your equal. You're free."

"No… I'm dying." Caroline replies.

Klaus scans her, clinical and unemotional, "And I could let you die, if that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I thought about it myself once or twice over the centuries, truth be told. But I'll let you in on a little secret: there's a whole world waiting out there for you, greet cities and art and music, genuine beauty, and you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays… all you have to do is ask."

Caroline shuts her eyes against the swell of tears. She's so weak, she's always been so weak, especially where Nik is concerned.

"Just tell me one thing," she begs, her voice wrecked with emotion.

Klaus leans forward, his lips a breath away from hers, "Anything, Caroline. Just ask."

"What were you going to tell me, that day in the cave?" Her question is barely audible, but Klaus' hybrid ears have no trouble with it. He sits back slowly, his eyes soft and vulnerable in the light.

"What I was," Klaus says, simply. "What I am."

Caroline feels tears fall down her cheeks because she _knew_ it. No matter what she did, she was going to end up here, and she could have had such a better route. She could have _chosen_ this.

"I don't want to die, Klaus," she whispers, finally.

His wrist is immediately at her mouth, and he cradles her head gently, as he'd done a million times before, on a beach thousands of miles away. "Here you go, sweetheart. Have at it."

"I wish you had told me," Caroline says, and then bites down, feeling his blood go through her like magma, healing her and changing her. No part of her was without Nik now, and she's not sure if she revels in that, or if she knows she'll never quite be free of him.

He strokes her hair, but doesn't answer. In the morning, he's gone, but a bracelet sits in her place.

_'happy birthday. forgive me'_ is written inside the case in messy cursive.

There's so much to forgive, so much to move past; Caroline decides to start with his secret so long ago. She forgives that, first.

* * *

Caroline continues to try to hate him, she does. But he sends her the perfect dress, and he saves her even when she doesn't want him to, and for some reason Caroline _wants _him. Wants him even more than she wants Tyler.

It was supposed to be a distraction — she was supposed to go to the ball to dance with Klaus, because even her friends had noticed that he treated her differently — and distract him from a sinister plot to take him down. The usual, these days.

Caroline hated the plan. She doesn't want to be a distraction, she wants Klaus to choose her and walk away from his stupid revenge. She doesn't want her friends to kill him, or hunt him, or hurt him, even if he does deserve it.

It's only once they're standing at the edge of the water and laughing over her ridiculous Miss Mystic application that Caroline realizes she _can't_ do this. Everything about this scene reminds her of endless days lying on a beach when she was sixteen.

It's not a pretend date.

It's a real one.

"Klaus," Caroline says, softly, and he immediately sobers at her serious tone.

"Yes, love."

Caroline glances out at the water, the sun setting softly on the far shore. It isn't the ocean, but it's peaceful, "I don't want this."

She can almost sense the way Klaus straightens, his humour falling away, "Don't want what?"

Caroline's eyes sting, "I don't want to hate you. I don't want to be your enemy, or play the distraction anymore."

"Then don't." Klaus tells her, as if he doesn't care that she just confessed to playing him, again. He reaches out, sets his hand on her shoulder and spins her back to face him.

Caroline's throat barely swallows around the tears that she refuses to let fall, but she manages to clear it enough to choke out, "It's not that easy."

Klaus lets his fingers ghost over her cheek, pushing hair behind her ear, "It is that easy, Caroline. Choose _me_."

"If I choose you," Caroline forces herself to stand straight, "you'll choose revenge. You'll choose hybrids, and Elena, and… and power."

Klaus watches her, eyes narrowed and calculating; he's never quite stared at her this way before, though it's not an unfamiliar look. He wants something, and Niklaus Mikaelson likes to get what he wants.

It seems like it's full minutes before he responds, though Caroline can't tell if that's because she's anxious and filled with dread, or Klaus really did take his time.

"I'll walk away from the hybrids," Klaus finally offers, "and therefore, I won't need Elena's blood."

Caroline frowns — this deal is everything her friends would ever want, and it seems to simple, "What's the catch?"

"You want me to forget about gaining power," Klaus tells her immediately, "and I won't. I can't. I have lived thousands of years becoming the most dangerous being on the planet, and I refuse to see myself fade away. I refuse to let my enemies catch up with me and tear me apart."

"What does that mean?" Caroline asks, "For me. If I choose this."

Klaus, for the first time, breaks eye contact with her long enough to look towards the house where her friends are plotting against him, "I don't know."

It's not nearly enough, and Caroline still considers it. She wants to end this; she wants Elena safe, and her friends happy, and she so badly wants Klaus to be the way he was when she was sixteen. She wants his full attention, and somehow she _knows_ that she could capture it in a way no one else ever could.

"I have conditions." Caroline says, suddenly. The words are out before she even realizes she's already made up her mind.

Klaus' raptor gaze snaps back to hers, "You're considering this." His shock is palpable, and he hastens to add, "What are the conditions?"

Caroline rocks back on her heels, creating space between them for what could be the last time.

"I stay in Mystic Falls until graduation," she says, firm, "and you give up the hybrids and Elena forever."

Klaus scowls, "And what am I to do while you are in Mystic Falls graduating?"

"Stay with me," Caroline tells him, voice soft, "or, if you have something else to do, go there. You are welcome here, as long as you agree to give up your revenge."

"Tyler." Klaus says, and it's not even a question.

Caroline winces, "You can't kill him."

Klaus looks dangerous, not at all like the man who had just been asking her to choose him, "I can do whatever I want."

"I know," Caroline whispers, and the wind nearly steals the words from her throat, but she forces them out, "but so can I. And I don't want to be with you if you kill him. He's a friend. Elena is a friend. I won't stand by and watch you hurt them."

Klaus is silent, and Caroline can feel anger burning inside him, but he makes no move toward her or away from her. All she can do is wait. She's waited years for Nik, and she can handle a few more minutes.

"Tyler leaves town and you _never_ see him again. Elena is safe, and I _keep_ the hybrids I have."

Neither of them move after his offer, and Caroline _wants this_.

She can't take it.

She owes it to herself. She's worth more than this. She _knows_ she's worth more than this.

"No."

Klaus' eyes narrow, "No? What do you mean 'no'?"

"You know what no means, Klaus," Caroline says, "I don't want some half-assed deal. I want the whole thing. I'm _worth_ the whole thing. No more hybrids, no more Elena, and I can see whoever I damn well want to because you're going to learn to trust me."

"Caroline Forbes, you just turned down the best deal I have ever offered anyone in the entire history of my life," Klaus hisses, "do not _presume_ to believe you will get more from me."

Caroline clenches her jaw and steps forward, straightening her spine. She reminds herself that even if she walks away from this with no Klaus and no deal, she has lost absolutely nothing. It's a lie; but Caroline will not compromise here. If she chooses Klaus she will not be pushed around for the rest of her immortal lifetime.

"I _know _you, Niklaus Mikaelson. I have seen you half asleep on a beach, and vulnerable, and sad. I have seen the way you look at me when you're happy. I have seen you angry and murderous, and… _uncontrollable_, and I am still standing right here. I am the only person in this whole goddamn town, maybe in this whole world, who has seen you and still _likes _you. I know that you're afraid; your father didn't love you, and now you think no one ever could. That isn't _true — _you don't connect with people because you don't try. I'm offering you the best deal you will ever consider as well, and do not _presume_," she spits the words at him, "to believe that I will _beg_ you to be with me. I'm done trying."

Her chest is heaving with ire when she finishes her tirade, and Klaus is silent; his eyes are glowing with an odd mixture of pride and fury, and Caroline knows that she has his respect, if nothing else.

When the silence goes on too long, Caroline swallows down dread and clears her throat. She nods once, turns on her heel, and walks away.

Klaus lets her go.

* * *

The drawing has been lying in her bedside drawer for days, and Caroline still doesn't know what to do with it. Klaus hasn't retaliated against her for trying to distract him, or for spitting the hateful words she had at him. They haven't even spoken, or seen each other around town.

She'd simply walked into her room after their fight, and found the old paper sitting on her bed. It's stunning; her face is carefree and happy, and Caroline can't remember the last time she felt that way, let alone looked it. The scrawled '_thank you for your honesty' _ at the top both hurts her and comforts her every time she looks at the paper.

Caroline had debated burning it. She thought about throwing it away. She thought about marching right up to the Mikaelson mansion and throwing it into his chest.

Eventually, she'd slid it into her nightstand drawer and tried not to think about it.

It wasn't working — especially now, after Damon had explained the newest plan to get rid of Klaus. Caroline understood why her friends wanted Klaus gone; he'd ruined their lives, and Elena wasn't safe, and would never be safe with him around.

Still, Caroline, for all her talk of not trying and not caring anymore, can't go through with Damon's plans. She remembers talking to Klaus —_Nik, then —_ lying on a beach with her head pillowed on his chest. She knows that he loves his family; he loves them more than anything else, even if he doesn't know how to show it or explain it anymore.

Caroline won't kill Kol. She won't even help her friends kill Kol.

In fact, Caroline knows what she has to do.

She was a fool; it was ridiculous to think that Klaus wouldn't get his way, because he _always_ got his way. She should have taken his stupid deal and walked away, and then she wouldn't be sitting on her bed in her newest short dress on her way to distract Klaus _again_.

So she's going to march into the Grill, make Klaus want her badly enough to reconsider his deal, and then accept it. She'll call off her friends from Kol, and everyone will be safe and no one will be dead.

Caroline will spend the next century trying to gain a modicum of her self respect back, and her power over Klaus, but still.

She slips on her red heels and tosses her hair once, passing a glance to the mirror to assure herself that she looks good. It's nice to remind herself every once in a while that Klaus was interested in sixteen year old her — the Caroline who was a neurotic freak with pimples and no knowledge of how to apply makeup — and he's _still _interested.

For the first time ever, Caroline isn't second fiddle to Elena. Klaus wants Elena for her blood, nothing else, and it's refreshing even as it's terrible.

She opens the doors to The Grill without faltering and makes her way to the bar where Matt is passing out drinks. As predicted, Klaus is sitting there; unexpectedly, Kol is at his side. Caroline feels a bout of unease whip through her — Kol is unpredictable, and he doesn't share the same fondness for her that Klaus has; if he thought for a second they had been plotting to kill him he wouldn't show her mercy.

It dawns on Caroline in that moment that even though Klaus has been a monster, he has also been merciful. If he had wanted Elena he could have taken her. He could have burned the town down and killed the Salvatores, and compelled Caroline to go with him if he had wanted to.

Caroline almost feels better for the revelation — Klaus _likes_ her, may even loves her, and she can get him to consider the deal again. She might even be able to make the deal better.

"Aren't you a tasty little thing?" Kol's voice would be inaudible were she human, but with her vampiric senses running on high his words wash over her easily.

Klaus is instantly annoyed, "Say another word, and I'll tear out your liver."

Caroline wants to smile, wants to walk over to them and join them. She can't though. She doesn't want Kol there, and she doesn't want Matt overhearing. Klaus needs to come to her.

She sets her elbows on the bar and leans just enough that her short dress flirts dangerously with exposing her. Matt waves from down the bar and she smiles back, hoping he'll make his way over, but not too quickly.

"Would you care to have a drink with us, love?"

Caroline counts slowly to three in her head before she turns and schools her expression into one of cold boredom, "I don't think so. In fact, I'll be leaving."

She pushes off the bar and sways her hips as she exits, praying that Klaus will follow her. She _needs _this.

He catches her as she's about to cross the road, and his fingers are warm against her bare arm. Her heart stutters, just a little, and Caroline realizes she _missed_ him. She wants this, she wants the stupid deal, even if it sucks.

"Caroline, please, stop," Klaus says, and Caroline slows down, still facing away from him, "I'm sorry about our fight."

Caroline turns, meets his gaze, and says coolly, "Don't be sorry — you made your decision and I made mine."

Klaus tugs her hand gently and sits down on the bench. Caroline sits next to him, consciously making herself stay away from the heat he's radiating. He's fed recently, and Caroline is cold. Still, she can't be eager; not yet.

"I didn't, though, did I. You walked away before I answered." Klaus smirks at her, eyes crinkled in a smile.

Caroline grits her teeth, "The silence was deafening."

His smile falls, just a bit, "I didn't mean for you to think you weren't valued, love. You're right, of course, to think that you're worth more than what I offered. I apologize if I've… hurt your feelings?"

The apology is almost a question on his tongue, as if he's not entirely sure how to go about saying sorry. It's almost comical, and Caroline wants to laugh and explain that isn't why she was so angry except… it _is_ a reason why she's angry. It stung, to realize that perhaps he didn't want her as badly as she wanted him.

"It wasn't just that," Caroline says honestly.

Klaus frowns, "What else? You said you knew me, Caroline, and you were right. You do know me, better than most people do. Give me the chance to do the same."

"What do you mean?" Caroline asks.

"I want to talk about you. Your hopes, your dreams, everything you want in life," he flashes the stupid dimpled grin that makes Caroline want to smile back.

Caroline's heart feels like it's breaking. She wants _everything_.

"You want to talk about me?" Caroline says, on a breath, "Fine. Get ready."

There's silence between them before Klaus finally nods and says, "Tell me."

"I told you I'm tired of playing the distraction, and feeling myself torn between my friends and you. I want my friends safe and happy, but I also want _you_ safe and happy."

The admission hangs in the air, and Caroline falters for a moment. Klaus nods slowly, and finally says, "That leaves very little room to think about your own happiness."

Caroline laughs, and is mortified to feel tears well in her eyes, "Exactly. And the one time I _did_, I told you exactly what I wanted to be happy, it didn't work. And now, you're still trying to ruin our lives, and my friends and still trying to get rid of you, and I'm either going to lose my friends, or lose you, or lose… I don't even know."

It barely makes sense when she says it out loud.

Klaus reaches over and takes her hand, delicately, stroking the webbing between her thumb and forefinger. "I want you more than I want almost anything else, Caroline."

"Almost anything?" Caroline shoots back. It's a hard line, but she's been down this road before. Damon wanted power and Elena, and Matt wanted normalcy over her, and Tyler is choosing hybrids and pack and revenge.

"I want my family safe," Klaus finally responds, and it's unexpected. Caroline thought he would say power, or immortality, or control.

In the end, it's these words that decide for her.

"I want to take the deal — but I have to tell you something first. It's important." Klaus turns to face her, and Caroline swallows heavily, "Damon is planning to kill Kol. It will immobilize all the Originals for a while, and we need you out of the picture. He wanted me to distract you. I refused, and told them I would try to reason with you, tell you to leave Elena and the hybrids be. They said they would wait for my word. I knew I couldn't convince you, but I was hoping if I took the deal… if I offered… I don't know? I just need them not to hurt you or your family, but I also need you not to hurt them, and I don't know what else to do."

Caroline's hands are clenched into fists in her lap, and so far this night is not going how she envisioned it. Her phone is burning in her pocket, and she knows it's because she still has to text Damon to say Klaus will back off, or he'll proceed with their plan.

Klaus' voice is quiet, calmer than expected, "You are not the only one of your friends who did not like the plan Damon concocted. Kol is safe — has always been safe; he has struck up an unexpected friendship with the witch. Their plan would have failed."

Caroline has a moment to think '_Bonnie?'_ before she's focused in on Klaus' words again.

"I don't want you to feel like you are stuck between people that you care about. As I said earlier, Caroline, I want you more than almost anything else. There is very little I would not do for those I care about, even if you don't agree with how I do things." Klaus clears his throat and refocuses his gaze on her, "I would like to offer you a new deal."

Caroline's jaw drops, "I… a new — what?"

Klaus smiles — actually smiles, not any of his trademark smirk involved — and takes her hand once more, relaxing her fist into an open hold, "I would like to offer you a new deal, Caroline Forbes. I will give up _all _of the hybrids and Elena forever. You will graduate in Mystic Falls, with your friends at your side, _whomever_ they may be."

Caroline can barely breathe, because this means that her friends are safe. This means that _Tyler_ will be allowed to graduate here, and Klaus won't go after him for talking to her. This means no more hybrids and no more blood, and no more deaths.

"What are the conditions?" Caroline makes herself ask, because she _has_ to ask. She'll take this deal, she has to, but she wants to know what she's getting into.

Klaus lets out a breath, "There are none."

Caroline feels her world go a little off kilter, and she stares down the hybrid beside her with unrestrained confusion and curiosity. He _knew_ he had her, he knew that she was going to take this deal, no matter the conditions.

"I don't… understand?" Caroline says, half afraid to voice her confusion.

Klaus squeezes her hand, "There are an infinite number of people in this world that I would do harm to without a second thought, Caroline. There are only four people for whom I would go out of my way to protect. I dislike the thought that you are constantly protecting others that I am harming, and in doing so, I am inadvertently harming you. I have what I wanted — I'm a hybrid, immortal and all-powerful in every sense of the word, and there is no one left on earth who can kill me. I don't need other hybrids."

Caroline feels shaky, "You… what are you going to do?"

Klaus shrugs, "I might travel the coast of California again, revisit some old haunts."

He tosses her a sad sort of smirk, and Caroline thinks that she _can't_ do this again, she can't say goodbye again.

"Can I ask you something?" she whispers.

"Anything, love."

Caroline leans towards him, pressing her shoulder into his side, feeling the heat from his body move into her. "Did you ever look for me?"

Klaus goes still, and Caroline watches a storm of emotions flicker over his face, "I spent the last two years searching everywhere I could think of."

Caroline stares at him in shock, "What?"

"You never mentioned where you were from, and I realize now that I was tracking your father, trying to find him, and you never came up. I stopped looking when I heard the news of a doppelgänger in Mystic Falls."

Caroline laughs, "And you found me, too."

"Imagine my surprise," Klaus says dryly, "when I saw you that first time. I should have know you would end up here, it's fitting. You looked stunning; shocked to see that I was the villain this whole time. I was acting… well, you know. I realized you had been turned, and I didn't know what to think. I was furious, initially."

"What?" Caroline remembers, though: the rage burning in Klaus' eyes when he saw her, and the way he snapped back to Elena and Stefan and ignored her.

Klaus shrugs, "I was angry because I thought you had planned the whole thing, the whole time. Then I realized that was foolish, since you were very mortal and very young the last time I had seen you. Then I was furious that someone had murdered you — just _killed_ you! And how _dare_ they turn you, when I—" he cuts himself off.

Caroline smirks, "You wanted to turn me. Katherine beat you to it."

"Katerina has always been infuriating." Klaus grumbles.

Caroline leans over and kisses Klaus' cheek, and he turns to her, eyes warm and happy. The night air is getting cold on her bare legs and arms, but Caroline doesn't want to move. She wants to bask in this; she wants to never forget the way she feels right now. She wants to remember that Klaus chose _her_.

"I want to take the deal," Caroline whispers, "but I have a condition."

Klaus lifts one eyebrow incredulously, "I don't _have_ anything else."

Caroline giggles, "Stay. Please."

"That's my condition?"

Caroline shrugs, "Not really. It's a request. I want you to stay. Wait till graduation. Take me back to the California coasts with you. Let me get to know Rebekah, and Elijah, and Kol."

"What about your friends?" Klaus asks, "What about Tyler?"

Caroline nods, "They won't understand, but they don't have to. It's my choice."

"Tyler loves you, Caroline." Klaus says, and he winces as he does so, as if he hates that he's reminding her of reasons why this won't work.

Caroline smiles, sadness pulling a lump into her throat, "Yeah. He does. And I do love him, you know? But… he's not real, not in the way you always were. I think I love the idea of him, more than I love him."

"And me?" Klaus' voice is more vulnerable than she's ever heard it, even in her farthest memories from when she was younger. Caroline wants to hold this moment in her brain forever, so that she can always remember how it feels.

"I know that you love me, Nik," Caroline tells him gently, "and anyone capable of love is capable of being saved." Caroline lets him soak that in for a moment, and follows up with: "As for me, well, I've been in love with you since I was sixteen."

Klaus presses his lips into her hair, holding her willingly captive against his body for a long moment. Caroline lets him revel in the moment, and when he finally stands, she follows him up. They stare at each other on the sidewalk, and Caroline feels her brain going a million miles a minute.

"I will stay with you." Klaus tells her, gently.

Caroline goes on her toes and kisses Klaus, gentle, as if they have all the time in the world — _don't they?_ — and Klaus follows her as she pulls away, pressing kisses agains the corner of her mouth, and the tip of her nose.

"I have to tell Damon to stop plotting to kill you," Caroline says, and pulls out her phone. Her message is brief, and consists of: _'Klaus won't harm Elena, hybrids are free, tell you tomorrow. Don't hurt Kol'_.

Klaus watches her type in amusement, and when she finally looks up his eyes are hot on her skin, and Caroline feels her body turn to flames. She _knows_ this look, and she hasn't seen it in a long time.

God, she missed it. She missed him.

"Come home with me, Caroline?" Klaus murmurs against her ear, and Caroline rests her hands on his chest.

"For the rest of my life," Caroline answers softly, and Klaus lets out a punched out breath of air, and he's kissing her ferociously, pulling her into his body. Caroline goes willingly, looping her arms around his neck. He nips at her lips until she opens up to him, and one of his hands finds it's way up her back into her hair.

He pulls away too soon, and Caroline's left gasping for air and pressed against his forehead.

"Home, now." he says, and Caroline doesn't hesitate when he lets go of all of her except her hand to start to run.

She's never been more thankful for their vampire speed than she is when her back is pressed against the Mikaelson mansion door. Klaus is resting briefly on her collarbone, and Caroline wants to drag his mouth back to hers, and forget the rest of the world while he kisses her. She threads her fingers through his curls and does exactly that, letting her body fall lax against the wooden door.

Klaus pulls away momentarily, opening the door, "Caroline, what do you think would have happened if I hadn't known you at sixteen? If I hadn't met you first."

The thought gives her pause, but she doesn't stop moving towards where Klaus is leading her. By the time he's opened another door into a bedroom done in dark blues and stained oak, Caroline has an answer.

She shuts the door behind them, "I think I would have fought against you longer. I would have tried to kill you; I would have tried to kill Kol. I would have loved Tyler, and probably hated you. It would have taken… centuries."

Klaus tilts his head, curious, "But you still think we would have gotten here eventually."

"I don't think I could continue that kind of hate. All the lines between good and evil seem to be blurred in this stupid town, and eventually we would end up on the same side."

Klaus pushes her towards his bed, and she lets herself fall back onto it, stretching her arms luxuriously. He follows her down, stripping the shirt from his body as he goes. Caroline doesn't hesitate to run her hands over skin she hasn't touched in years, eager to map out of every inch of his body again.

"Do you remember the cave, love?" Klaus murmurs as he pushes her dress up her legs, exposing her electric blue underwear.

Caroline nods, "Of course." She fiddles with his jeans, unbuttoning them and pushing them down his hips.

Her dress is the first to go, leaving her bare except for her underwear beneath him. Klaus' pants follow, and he's naked underneath his jeans. It takes seconds for him to pull her panties down her legs, and Caroline unhooks the bra herself just so she can feel him against her skin uninterrupted.

Klaus kisses her neck, unerringly finding the spot that always makes her knees go a little weak. Caroline runs her fingertips down his back, resting them on his hips. They flow; far better than Caroline expected, better than most people do when they have sex.

The rhythm they fall into is comfortable, and Caroline can almost feel the memories of his lips on her skin as strongly as she can feel them now in reality. They never got a chance to finish what they started that summer, and it's apparent in the electricity between them.

Klaus kisses between her breasts and looks up at her, eyes bright and excited, "That was the happiest I had been in centuries. Maybe ever."

Caroline can hardly piece together her train of thought, and it gets more difficult when Klaus suddenly slips a hand between her thighs and pushes a finger into her, "In the cave? Do you mean in the cave?"

He laughs against her stomach, whiskers tickling against her ribs. He's kissing her in between his words, and Caroline thinks that she's never going to love anyone but him, because there _is_ no one but him. What she felt for Tyler — while not insignificant — is nothing compared to this heat and power that flows in her veins right now. She feels like she could start a war, feels like she could lift a car. She's invincible and beautiful and _worth_ it, and Klaus knows it.

"Of course I mean in the cave." Klaus finally answers, and then he sets his mouth on her, licking inside. Caroline's back arches, and she tries to remember how to say anything other than Klaus' name.

It doesn't take long before she's clawing at his shoulders, and he's gripping her hips still; Caroline wants him desperately.

"Please, Nik, _now_." Caroline says, and her brain echoes back similar words from so long ago.

Klaus doesn't make her wait longer before he's eye level and pressing into her, gasping at her heat. Caroline feels like she could explode all over again she's so full, and it keeps going until he's seated deep inside of her. She has Klaus everywhere now — in her body, her brain, her heart, her _blood_. He is everything that she is.

They lose their rhythm minutely, both fighting for dominance before Klaus flips her over and lets her set the pace, riding him with her head thrown back. He plays with her curls before running fingertips along her breasts. Caroline finishes with his name on her tongue, and Klaus grasps at her hips, plunging in three more times before gasping and pulling her in close to lay on his shoulder.

Her breath is only just starting to come back naturally when Klaus pulls out, rolling her over to stare in her eyes. Caroline commits the moment to memory again — she has a feeling there might be a thousand more moments where Klaus is pressed against her in bed and almost smiling at her — still, this is precious, and she hoards it like the treasure it is.

"You were my first love," Caroline whispers, and it seems loud in the silent room.

Klaus reaches out to tug on a single curl, happiness radiating from him in a way Caroline had forgotten it could.

"I intend to be your last," he promises.

Caroline has no objections to that, and she presses in for another kiss, only to pull back and whisper, "deal."

It's the best deal she's ever made.


End file.
